Engearment

Kate Agathon

In a sea of available headlamps teched out to the max, the minimalist Princeton Tec Refuel $25 headlamp is exactly what I was seeking.

With an affordably attractive MSRP of $24.99, the Princeton Tec Refuel doesn’t break the bank. Once Daylight Savings ended, I wanted a simple headlamp to wear while I walked my dog in the open space across the street from my house.

Powered by three AAA batteries, the updated Refuel offers 250 lumens of dimmable white light that has two simple settings available on the on/off button: flood high, flood low. It doesn’t get more user-friendly than this.

The flood-high setting (and wow, is it bright!) is nice to have for evening walks with my dog in unlit areas and open spaces. The flood-low setting is nice during twilight when just enough light is needed to see the path ahead. Also, the rotating adjustable head keeps the wide beam where illumination is most needed.

While batteries and the hard plastic combined make the Refuel a little heavy, it is noticeable to me only because I am used to using ultra-light, teched-out headlamps for outdoor adventures where every gram counts. And to be honest, I like using batteries because it’s one less USB cord, one less accessory to worry about being charged and ready to go.

If you want a simple headlamp to have on hand for preparedness or simple tasks like dog walking, the Refuel is what you want.

Refuel key features: lipped battery door, a single large button, and 4 LEDs. Available in four colors: Blue/Dark Blue, Green/Dark Green, Black/Dark Grey, and Red/Dark Red.